


Yours

by likehandlingroses



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-24
Updated: 2019-01-24
Packaged: 2019-10-15 17:32:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17533148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/likehandlingroses/pseuds/likehandlingroses
Summary: Sometimes, the best love stories require nothing but complete understanding. (A series of Percy/Penny vignettes).





	Yours

At four o’clock, you could always find Penelope Clearwater sitting in the alcove just down the hall from the library. It was where she studied Transfiguration-- _only_ Transfiguration. She had a different study spot for each subject. That way she could remember where she was when she learned something. Or at least, that’s how she’d explained it to Percy.

At any rate, she’d be there at four. And when he wasn’t shut up in Muggle Studies, Percy always joined her.

Each time he sat down--ever since Christmas--he’d told himself he was going to ask her if she’d like to meet somewhere else, sometime. Somewhere nicer, somewhere private. Somewhere without any work at all.

And every day, he’d found a reason not to.

He couldn’t do that today, he told himself. The last Hogsmeade weekend of the term had just been announced, and if he didn’t do it now, he’d be stuck wondering all summer.

Penelope smiled as he approached. She did that every day, and it was always the best part of the afternoon.

“I almost didn’t come today,” she told him, moving over so he could sit beside her. “I don’t have anything I need to study. But then I thought, if I don’t sit here today, someone else might get it in their heads that it’s their spot now. And I can’t have that. Want some?”

She held out a bag of coconut ice to Percy--another familiar bit in their routine. Penelope was particular about what she ate when she studied. And in the alcove, with her Transfiguration, it was always cubes of pink coconut ice.

“It looks as though you’re almost out,” Percy said, hesitating to take one.

“Go on!” she insisted. “Anyway, I’ll get more on Saturday.”

Saturday. Hogsmeade.

Ask her.

“You can order some by mail, you know,” Percy said, wanting to dash his head against the wall as soon as the words passed his lips.

“There’s no fun in that,” Penelope said, pushing the bag onto his lap. “Sweet shops are one of the only places you’ll never leave disappointed.”

Percy relented, taking a cube and handing the bag back, his hands shaking.

“Would you go with me?”

Penelope stopped putting the sweets away and stared at him, wide-eyed.

“What?”

“To Hogsmeade,” Percy  said. “Would you like to go with me? I was going to ask you the last time they announced a weekend, but then Mackeson asked you, and if you’re going with him again that’s fine, only I hadn’t seen him about lately, so--”

“--that wasn’t really anything,” Penelope said. “I mean...I don’t really like him. I mean I _like_ him, he’s nice, but we’re friends. I don’t fancy him, and he knows that.”

Her cheeks were going pink, but she held his gaze.

“You don’t?” Percy managed, and Penelope smiled.

“I don’t,” she said. “I’ve been hoping for about half the year that you would ask me, actually.”

“That long?”

Penelope nodded, and Percy felt the knot in his stomach untangle.

“Well, it’s a good thing I did, isn’t it?” he said, rather breathlessly.

“A very good thing,” Penelope agreed.

* * *

 

_Dear Penelope,_

_I hope you don’t think I’m much too over eager sending you a letter so soon, but I didn’t see any use in waiting while your address was burning a hole in my desk._

_Are you enjoying having your sister back in town? We thought my brother, Charlie, might be able to get away for a few weeks this summer, but now he’s saying his schedule has changed. Compared to dragons, I’m sure we must all seem quite dull. Thankfully, we at least caught a glimpse of Bill--he’d been in London for a conference and stopped in for dinner. He’s taken to wearing an earring now; my mother wasn’t pleased._

_Nothing all too exciting has happened yet, which brings me rather quickly to my main aim in writing to you. I’m so glad we were able to be honest with one another about our feelings before the start of summer break; I don’t think I could manage the next several months wondering if you felt the same way I do._

_Thank you for accepting my invitation to Hogsmeade. I spent the entire time hardly able to believe that you had. I hope you weren’t sparing my feelings when you said you had a good time, because I would like to do it again. I’d like to do a lot of things with you again. Buy you a drink, hold your hand, talk about nothing for a while._

_I’d like to kiss you again; I hope I don’t offend you by saying so. You’re clever and kind and entirely wonderful, and I haven’t any untoward intentions in regards to our relationship. Nor do I  think of you with anything but the utmost respect. In fact, I don’t think I’d have liked kissing you half so much if I didn’t think you were one of the best people I’ve ever known._

_That being said, if you feel differently, you needn’t worry about telling me. I will, of course, understand. And--if you’ll let me--I’ll always be your friend._

_I hope you are well, and I look forward to your return letter._

_Yours,_

_Percy_

_P.S.--Hermes will stay as long as you’d like him to--he can catch his own food if you let him out at night. If you’d rather send him back without a reply, just tell him so, and he’ll be on his way._

 

“What are you smiling at?”

Penelope jumped in her seat at the sound of her mother’s voice.

“Nothing!” she blurted out. “A friend from school wrote is all.”

“Oh, a _friend_.” Penelope felt her face turn hot at the amusement in her mother’s voice. “What’s his name?”

“Mum!”

“Am I wrong?”

Penelope sighed. She didn’t mind Mum knowing, not really. They’d always been close, and, after all, they’d always agreed that once she was fifteen, she could have as many boyfriends as she liked.

Not that Percy was her boyfriend, officially...they’d only gone out once. Unless you counted all the times before when they’d liked each other in secret. And those had to count for something, didn’t they?

It was a close call, Penelope decided. She’d have to ask him, next time they met. Not in a letter; you couldn’t ask that sort of thing in a letter.

“...his name is Percy,” she admitted.

“And he’s written you a letter?” Mum said, walking towards her as if to get a glimpse of the words.

“Everyone writes letters there, Mum,” Penelope said, folding the letter up against prying eyes. “You watch too many films.”

Still, it was all Penelope could do not to reach back into her pocket and pore over the letter again while her mother made breakfast. And when they’d finished eating, she raced up to her room to write him back.

 

_Dear Percy,_

_Thank you for your letter! I’m happy you wrote me so quickly. Hermes is a beautiful owl, and I think he quite enjoys our trees._

_My sister came in three days ago, and she’s doing very well, apart from the fact that she has to find a new flat and the rates are dreadful out here. I expect she’ll be at home for some time. But Mum always says that as long as people are moving forward somewhere, they’re moving forward everywhere. I’m so happy you got to see Bill--what sort of an earring does he have?_

_Thank you for taking me out--I had such a lovely time, and I would do it again today if we were able. I agree that we were quite lucky to come to an understanding before summer term. Still, it’s harder in some ways, because now all I can think about is going out with you again!_

_I liked kissing you as well; I don’t think it’s wrong to say so. You were so sweet to me, so sensitive and altogether decent, while we were out together. Most especially when we kissed. I like you more now than I ever did before; there’s no one I’d rather spend my afternoons with._

_Please don’t worry about writing back too soon--I miss you, and I’ll never be sorry to get a letter from you._

_Yours,_

_Penny_


End file.
